Technology Tips

Each week you can do one Technology Tip assignment for extra credit. You may choose whichever assignment looks most interesting and/or valuable to you. You may declare a total of 15 Technology Tips for extra credit during the semester, one per week - and yes, you can work ahead! All the Technology Tip Declarations, for Weeks 1-15, are available now. You can do a tip for Week 1, Week 2 and so on, up to and including Week 15. The only requirement is that you START by doing this GoogleDocs tip - which involves creating a checklist you can use for keeping track of the tips you have completed. After you complete the GoogleDocs Tech Tip, you can choose any of the other tips, recording a Tech TIp extra credit point for Weeks 2-15. The sooner you start doing the Tech Tips, the more of them you will be able to complete for credit during the semester. (If you start doing these in Week 11, for example, you will only be able to complete 5 of them for credit, Weeks 11-15).

*** Sometimes the interface for these online tools can change - so if you notice that the instructions  do not match the current version of the tool and you are having trouble as a result, please let me know! ***

 

Returning Students. Please start with the GoogleDocs tip (even if you did that one before), so that you will have a checklist to use for the other tips you do this semester. For your other tips, please try to choose different tips that you did NOT complete in the past. There are new tips available, so I hope you will be able to find some tips that look interesting and/or useful to you on the list. If you cannot find a new tip, write me and let me know - I'll be adding new tips periodically during the semester, and can definitely come up with something new if you have done all of the existing tips.

GOOGLE:

• GoogleDocs. As noted above, you MUST do this Tech Tip first, so that you will have access to a handy checklist you can use in keeping track of which Tech Tips you have completed during the semester.
• GoogleDocs Dictionary. Practice using Google Docs' built-in dictionary. 
• Goo.gl URL Shortener. You can use Goo.gl to turn a long URL into something nice and short.
• Google Calendar. Subscribe to the class calendar using Google Calendar (you can even get notifications by cell phone for homework reminders).
• Google Security. Make sure you have secured your Google account settings, along with your general computer security. 
• GoogleProfile. You can create a kind of homepage for yourself at Google, uploading a photo and including links to your OU website, too. 
• GoogleSearch: Learn how to limit your Google search to a specific website.
• GoogleBooks. You can find free books to read online or download, choosing from the millions of books and magazines available at GoogleBooks.
• GoogleEarth: Learn how to use Google Earth to view cities around the world. 
• Google+. Google+ is Google's social network; you can use it to interact with peers, friends, family, coworkers, etc., arranged in "Circles" so that you can share different things with different people. 
• Gmail Theme. Get a Gmail account (if you don't have one already) and choose a theme for your Gmail.

D2L and OU:

• OU4YOU. If you have an iPhone or Touch (OS 4.1 or later), you can access Desire2Learn and other campus IT services on your handheld.
• Desire2Learn Font Size. Learn how to choose the font size you prefer when working with Desire2Learn (this is especially useful if you would like the font to be bigger).
• Desire2Learn Homepage Layout. Learn how to open and close the boxes on your D2L course homepages so you can focus in on what is useful to you.
• Desire2Learn Profile Page: You can upload a photo of your choice to your Desire2Learn Profile Page, and also create a link to your OU homepage.
• OU Email Folder: Create a folder for your class emails (instructions are provided for creating folders at Exchange.ou.edu).
• OU Library Homepage: Create a customized homepage for the electronic resources and other library services you use most often.

LANGUAGE AND AUDIO:

• Word Count. Learn about some easy-to-use tools that give you a quick word count for a chunk of text.
• Foreign Language Keyboards. You can use TypeIt.org to access the special characters used in many foreign languages with modified Roman alphabets (French, German, Italian, Spanish, etc.).
• Foreign Language Wikipedia. Search Wikipedia in a language other than English.
• Foreign Language Google. You can change the Google interface to the language of your choice!
• GoogleTranslator. You can use Google Translator to get at least a rough idea of the contents of a webpage written in a foreign language. 
• Wordle. Create a Wordle word cloud with the text of your choice. 
• Animated Anagram. You can use the WordSmith website both to create anagrams and also to create animated anagrams.
• Firefox Spellcheck. You can configure Firefox to check your spelling as you type.

IMAGES AND VIDEO:

• Screenshot. Learn how to take a screenshot (if you don't know how to do that already). Many of the Tech Tips require you to send me a screenshot to complete the assignment, plus knowing how to make a screenshot is very handy if you need some technical assistance later on in the semester.
• Resize Images. Learn how to take giant-sized images and make them smaller, for use in your webpages, blog posts, etc.
• Google Images. Use Google Images to search for images online and find the webpages on which those images are displayed. 
• Avatar Image. Create an avatar image for yourself at the DoppelMe website.
• Animated GIF. You can combine from 3-10 images into an animated gif for use in your own website or in a blog post.
• Pie Chart. A pie chart can be used to express an idea in visual terms; you can use this generator to create your own pie chart images.
• Einstein Chalkboard. You can create an image that shows Einstein writing the words you choose on a chalkboard.
• Fake Twitter. You can use this generator to create what looks like a Twitter feed, complete with avatar images for the characters.

NING:

• Ning Profile Clean-Up. Make more room on your Profile page by hiding features you do not need, such as Latest Activity or duplicate Blog listings (please wait until you have posted at least 5 or 6 items in your Ning blog before you do this tip).
• Add a You-Tube Video to your Ning Profile. You can add a YouTube video (or a video from any other embedded video service) to your Ning Profile page.
• Add an RSS Feed to your Ning Profile. You can add an RSS feed (from an online news source, from a blog, etc.) to your Ning Profile page.